What Causes Crooked Teeth?

At the orthodontic office of Drs. Najem & Lehky, we're proud to help patients of all ages in the Akron, OH area achieve beautiful, healthy smiles through orthodontic treatment. As most of our patients realize, crooked teeth are an incredibly common problem, which is why orthodontic treatment is so widespread. But why is that, exactly? As your local Akron, OH orthodontists, we wanted to dive into this topic and shed a little light on the major causes of crooked teeth.

The Causes of Crooked Teeth

Whether it's crooked teeth or an underbite, most people develop some form of orthodontic malocclusion, or 'bad bite,' in their lifetime. But why are orthodontic problems so widespread? While the causes vary from person to person, here are a few of the most common reasons that people develop crooked teeth:

Genetics: Genetics is by far the most common culprit behind crooked teeth. Our modern human mouths are smaller than those of our evolutionary predecessors, and it turns out that we normally don't have quite enough room in the dental arch to comfortably accommodate all 32 teeth. Accordingly, most people's teeth grow in slightly crooked, and this is especially true with wisdom teeth. While some of us are lucky enough to be born with straight teeth, the vast majority of people are genetically predisposed to crooked teeth.

Childhood Habits: Outside of genetics, certain childhood habits including tongue thrusting and prolonged thumb sucking can also cause malocclusions. This occurs because these habits place outward pressure on the front teeth, causing them to tilt forward. With time, this tilting may become so pronounced that it forms a malocclusion called an openbite, which is where the upper and lower front teeth fail to meet when the mouth is closed

Developmental Differences: Childhood dental development can also influence crooked teeth. Baby teeth serve as guides for erupting adult teeth, meaning that if a baby tooth falls out too soon, it can cause the adjacent teeth to drift into the space left behind, in turn causing the adult teeth to grow in out of alignment.

Contact Your Akron, OH Orthodontists

We hope this blog helps you better your understanding of the causes behind crooked teeth, and as always, we're here to answer any additional questions you may have! Feel free to reach out to us using our contact page if you'd like to learn more about orthodontic problems or how we can help to treat them. And if you have crooked teeth of your own you'd like to fix, we can help with that as well: just request an orthodontic consultation using our easy online form. We can't wait to hear from you, and we look forward to helping you achieve a beautiful and healthy smile!